Ventilator systems provide necessary assistance in the breathing of sick or otherwise compromised patients who cannot adequately breathe on their own. Generally, ventilation systems include an inhalation path that brings air to the patient and an exhalation path that takes exhaled air away from the patient. An important consideration in the use of ventilator systems is the need for proper care of the exhaled gas in the exhalation path.
Exhaled gas from a sick patient can contain bacteria, viruses, and other small particulates (“pathogens”) that can contaminate the surrounding air. Further, exhaled gas contains considerable moisture which can cool and condense in the exhalation path. The buildup of condensed moisture in the exhalation path can damage the electrical and mechanical circuitry of vital components of the ventilator system.
These issues have led to the incorporation of filters into the exhalation path to remove pathogens from exhaled air. However, while these filters can effectively remove pathogens, they cannot on their own combat the ultimate buildup of condensed moisture. Thus, in these types of ventilator systems, the exhalation path components, including the filter, must be periodically cleaned and sterilized or replaced. Other ventilator systems have since been developed to include an internal heating mechanism that heats the filter. By heating the filter, the moisture in the exhaled gas is mostly kept in vapor phase, thereby protecting the various components from condensed moisture based damage and further reducing potential from contamination. However, in these heated filter systems, the heating element, because it is internal to the ventilator, is powered and controlled separately from the filter. However not all ventilators have heated filters. Existing external heated filters create a potential risk when the filter is removed, exposing the operator to high surface temperatures of the heater body.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a heated filter and filtration system, wherein control of the heating element can be effectively determined by the presence of the filter. The present invention satisfies this need.